Feeding and tensioning mechanism.



C. T. HENDERSON.

FEEDING AND TENSIONING MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 16. mm.

29 Patented May 7,1918.

a citizen of the United UNITED STATES PATENT oEEIo CLARK r. HENDERSON, 0E MILWAUKEE, wrsoonsm, ASSIGNOR 'ro THE CUTLER- HAMMEE. MFG. 00., 0E MILWAUKEE, wxsoonsm, A CORPORATION OF wrs- CONSIN.

Specification of Letters Patent.

FEEDING'AND TENSIONING MECHANISM. I

Patented May '7, 1918.

Application filed May 16, 1914. Serial No. 839,048.

To all whom it may concern: I

Be it known that I,- Cngbm T. HENDERSON,

Milwaukee, in the county f Milwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented new and useful Improvements in Feeding and Tensioning Mechanisms, of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in feeding and tensioning mechanisms.

The present invention embodies certain features of the feeding and tensioning mechanism disclosed in my co-pending application. Serial No. 833,229, filed April 20, 1914, together with certain additional features producing a mechanism which may be advantageously employed in numerous instances. i

One object of the present invention is to provide a simple and efiicient feeding and tensioning mechanism for printing presses and other machines where it is desired to feed the web or other material from rolls which initially are relatively large and heavy, at high and varying speeds and at all times maintain the web or other material under constant tension.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear. I

For the purposes of more fully and clearly disclosing the nature and advantages of the invention, one embodiment thereof has been illustrated schematically in the accompanying drawing, which will be now described.

The drawing illustrates a roll of material 1, which it may be assumed comprises a web to be fed to a printing press P. The web, upon leaving the roll 1. is passed over a roll 2, thence beneath a roll 3 and thence over a roll 4 to the press. The rolls 2 and 4 are fixed while the roll 3 is vertically adjustable, being carried by a pivoted frame 5 biased downwardly by a suitable weight 6. The three rolls thus constitute a slack takeup, the roll 3 serving to tension the moving web. The frame 5 is limited in its downward movement by a stop 7 and is adapted to be raised by the web as the slack therein decreases.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that if the web is fed at the same speed at which it is drawn into the press the slack tates, residing at other hand, if the speed at which the. ma-

terial is fed exceeds that at which it is drawn into the press, then the slack will increase, allowing the roll 3 to descend, whereas if the reverse conditions obtain the slack will decrease, raising the roll 3. Under all conditions, however, the weighted roll 3 will provide a constant tension on the web, assuming, of course, that it is held in such a position as to raise the frame 5 from the stop 7. 4

The web is fed by positive rotation of the roll '1. The spindle or core of the roll 1 has fixed thereto a beveled gear 8 with which meshes a beveled gear 9 fixed to a shaft 10. The shaft 10 is connected through a gear train 11 to a shaft 12 to be driven by the press or its driving motor. For connection provided with a gear 13. The gear train 11 is of a conventional form, being provided with gears 14 and 15 fixed to the shafts 10 and 12 respectively and with one or more floating pinions 16 carried by a spider 17 shown as freely revoluble on the shaft 10. The several gears are housed in a casing 18 revolubly supported on the shafts 10 and 12 and fixed to the spiderl'? to revolve therewith. The casing 18 has fixed thereto a worm Wheel 19 with which meshes a worm 2O operatively connected to the armature of an electric motor 21,

It will thus be observed that with the casing 18 of the gear train looked, as will be the case when the motor 21 is inert, the roll 1 will be operated at a speed bearing a fixed relation to the speed of the shaft 12 and accordingly that of the press. On the other hand, if the motor 21 be set in operation, then the speed of the roll will equal the sum of the speed of the shaft 12 and twice that of the casing 18. Hence, by varying the speed of the motor 21 the speed of the roll may be varied relative to that of the shaft 12 and the press.

The gear train 11 is provided to compensate for the decrease in the diameter of the roll to maintain a fixed relation between the peripheral speed of theroll and the speed of the press and is automatically controlled comprises a pivoted arm 22 movable over a series of contact buttons 23. The button 23 of this series is'connectcd to a dynamic braking resistance 1', the button 23 is dead, and the remainder are connected "to the rheostat resistance 1". Thus the arm 22, when moved in a clockwise direction, completes "the motor circuit and gradually removes the resistance r and when moved in a counterclockwise direction gradually reinserts the resistance r and finally opens the motor circuit and connects resistance 1' across the motor armature to establish a braking .cir-

, cuit and thus eifect a quick stop ofithe motor. Said arm is operated by a rope or cable 24 passing over a pulley 25 fixed to said arm, said rope being connected at one end to the frame 5 and at its opposite end to a weight 26. The arrangement is such that as the frame 5 is raised the weight 26 moves said rheostat in a clockwise direction to start and accelerate the motor, whereas when the frame 5 descends it reverses the operation of the rheostat to slow down and finally stop the motor.

Considering now the mechanism I as a 1 whole, the operation thereof is as follows:

correspond therewith, whereby 7 Assuming that the press is started with a full roll and with the rheostat in the position illustrated, the roll will be driven solely by the press, the motor 21 being inert and the worm and worm gear locking the casing 18 of the gear 11 against rotation. Under such conditions whatever the speed of the press may be the speed of the roll 1 W111 the slack between'the rolls 2 and 4 will remain constant. However, as the web is withdrawn from the roll the diameter of said roll will decrease with a consequent decrease in the peripheral speed thereof. Thus the speed at which the material is received by the press will gradually exceed the speed at which the web is unwound and this will decrease the slack between the rollers 2 and 4. This in turn efl'ects elevation of the roll 3 and clockwise movement of the rheostat. The motor 21 is thereby started and augments the speed of the roll 1 until its peripheral speed is restored to a value corresponding with the speed .of the press. If now the speed of the press is decreased the slack will increase, moving the rheostat in the opposite direction and thus slowin down the motor until the peripheral spee caused'to correspond with the speed of the press. Thus, throughout the operation of the press the aforesaid mechanism automatically tends to feed the web at a speed corresponding to the speedof the press irrespee tive of the size of the roll, and the tension roll 3 in turn provides a constant tension on thefvzleb irrespective of the speed at which it is e In the event of a quick stop of the press,

the roll'1 would be quickly brought to rest as follows: The continued operation of the roll by the motor 21 would at once cause excessive slack, allowing the roll 3 to fall and thereby return the rheostat to the braking vposition. This in turn would gradually slow down and stop the motor 21 and upon I cessation of operation of the motor the worm 20-would lock the gear casing 18. Accordingly the web roll could only continue to operate against the resistance of the pressJso that necessarily it would immediately come to rest.

The circuit connections are obvious and as follows:

The field circuit of the motor extends from line L by conductor 27 through the field winding F by conductor 28 to line L. The armature circuit extends from line L through rheostat R by conductor 29 through the motor armature A by conductor 28 to line L. The dynamic braking circuit extends from one terminal of the motor armature by conductor 29 through arm 22 to contact button 23* and thence through resistance r by conductor 28 to the opposite side of the motor armature.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a mechanism for feeding material from a roll to a receiving machine, in combination, means tending at all times to rotate the roll at the same relative speed as the receiving machine and means responsive to variations in the peripheral speed of said roll for automatically controlling the speed ofthe roll to maintain a substantially constant ratio between the peripheral speed thereof and the speed of the receiving machine.

2. In a mechanism for feeding material from a roll to a receiving machine, in combination, means to be operated in synchronism with the receiving machine to rotate the roll,

a device for taking up and paying out slack cordin to the amount of slack 1n the material fe and means to be operated solely by said'first means and jointly by both of said means to rotate the roll of material.

4. A drive for rolls of the character set forth including a gear train, a driving connection between one member of said gear train and the roll and independent driving members for other members of said gear train, one of said driving members to be opof' the roll is again tomatically operated at varyin speeds acerated at a speed corresponding to the desired peripheral speed of the roll and the other of said driving members to be operated at varying speeds responsive to variations in the. peripheral speed of the roll.

5. A drive for rolls of the character set forth including a variable speed gear train, a driving connection between one member of said gear train and the roll and independent driving members for other members of said gear train, one of said driving members to be operated at a speed corresponding to the desired peripheral speed of the roll and the other of said driving members to be operated at varying speeds to compensate for the loss of peripheral speed of the roll by reduction of its diameter and means re sponsive to variations in the peripheral speed of the roll for automatically controlling said last mentioned driving member.

6. In a mechanism for feeding materials from a roll to a receiving machine, in combination, a member to be operated in synchronism with the receiving machine, an operative connection between said member and the roll including a variable speed gear train and means responsive to variations in the peripheral speed of the roll acting upon said gear train to vary the speed ratio between the roll and said member.

7. In a mechanism for feeding materials from a roll to a receiving machine in combination, a member to be operated in synchronism with the receiving machine, an

operative connection between said member and the roll including a variable speed gear train and automatically controlled means acting upon said gear train to vary the speed ratio between the roll and said first driving member subject to variations in the peripheral s eed 0f the roll.

8. in a mechanism for feeding materials from a roll to a receiving machine, in combination, a member to be operated in synchronism with the receiving machine, an operative connection between said member and the roll including a variable speed gear train and automatically controlled means acting upon said gear train to vary the speed ratio between the roll and said first driving member subject to variations in the periph eral speed of the roll and to a proportional degree.

9. In a mechanism for feeding material from a roll to a receiving machine, in combination, a member to be operated in synchronism with the receiving machine, an operative connection between the same and the roll, and auxiliary operating means for the roll responsive to variations in the peri heral speed thereof to vary the speed ratio etween the same and said member, said means acting automatically to accelerate and slow down the roll under different conditions.

10.' In a mechanism for feeding material from a roll to a receiving machine, in combination, a member to be operated in synchronism with the receiving machine, an operative connectionbetween the same and the roll, auxiliary operating means for the roll to. vary the speed ratio between the same and said member,- said means acting automatically upon variations in the slack of the material and to a degree proportional to the slack variations. 11. In a mechanism for feeding material 4 from a roll to a receiving machine, in combination, means whereby the receiving machine operates the shaft of the roll, auxiliary means for driving the shaft of the roll'and means acting in response to variations in the peripheral speed of the roll whereby said auxiliary driving means is caused to vary the speed of the roll shaft relatively to the speed of the receiving machine.

12. In a mechanism-for feeding material from a roll to a receiving. machine, in combination, a drive for the shaft of theroll of material rendering its speed proportional but variable with respect to the speed of the receiving machine and means whereby said former means is automatically controlled to maintain a substantially constant ratio be-' tween the peripheral speed of the roll and the speed of said machine.

13. In a mechanism for feeding material from a roll to a receiving machine, in combination, a tension device to engage the material as it passes from the roll to the machine and automatically adjustable to the slack therein to maintain a constant tension thereon, means for driving the shaft of the roll at a speed proportional to that of the receiving machine and auxiliary driving means to maintain a substantially constant ratio'between the peripheral speed of the roll and the speed of the receiving machine.

14. In a mechanism for feeding and ten sioning material fed from a roll to a receiving machine, in combination, means operating in synchronism with the receiving machine to drive the roll, a device engaging the material fed from the roll to tension the same, said device being automatically adjustable to variations in the slack of the material and auxiliary driving means for the roll governed by said tension device.

15. In a mechanism for feeding material from. a roll to a receiving machine and tensioning the same as fed, in combination, means for driving the roll including a driving member operating in synchronism with the receiving machine and an auxiliary driving member, a tension device for the material automatically adjustable to variations in the slack of the material and governing means for said auxiliary driving member operatively associated with said tension device.

16. In combination, a driven receiving 130 mechanism having a substantially constant speed, a siiipply roll therefor decreasing in diameter uring operation and hence decreasing in peripheral speed at constant speed, means between said element and said roll for insuring a positive drive of the latter at speed relatively equal to the speed of said mechanism, a normally inert motor adapted to increase the speed of said roll and.

means controlled by the tension of the material between said roll and said mechanism for automatically rendering said motor op erative and hontrolling the same to maintain the peripheral speed of said roll at a substantially uniform rate with respect to 15 CLARK T.- HENDERSON.

Witnesses:

LEKLA BASH, L. A. WATSON. 

